I recently met winemaker Jen Beloz of The Prisoner Wine Company. You've probably heard of the wine, a widely distributed California Zinfandel–based blend with a Francisco Goya etching on the label. It has a huge following.

Thoughtful and energetic, Beloz originally planned to be a marine biologist, but was thrown off course when she first walked into a winery. "The smell of the barrel room got into my soul," she explained. I can relate.

Wine Spectator senior editor Bruce Sanderson is in France, visiting domaines and tasting the recent vintages of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs in Burgundy. WineSpectator.com members can read his scores and tasting notes. Today he reports on his visit to Maison Champy.

I often rummage through the cellar for an older wine to open for dinner. With too many wines I expected to drink up sooner, I'll grab the last bottle remaining of something now forgotten that looked interesting when I acquired it. Two California wines with more age on them than originally anticipated turned out to be pleasant surprises at dinner this week, and with two instructive results.

Some wine-industry folks are worried that younger consumers are just as open-minded about what they drink. At a Feb. 6 presentation in Napa for the Wine Market Council, longtime analyst John Gillespie shared data illustrating that high-frequency wine drinkers—particularly younger drinkers—increasingly enjoy beer and spirits too.

The younger you are, the more likely you're enjoying beer as well as wine. The survey found that 95 percent of Millennials, 94 percent of Gen Xers and 78 percent of Baby Boomers drink beer at least once per week. The fear is that wine is losing a generation, particularly twenty-something men, to craft beer.

Yes, friends, it's tax time. Those of you expecting a refund have no doubt already filed and perhaps have received a check by now, and the rest of us, quite candidly, hate your stinking guts.

With all the hardworking Americans writing big fat checks to the government, there may not be a lot of cash left for the necessities … you know, like wine. Not to worry. I've put together a case of terrific wines that cost $25 or less and also have good availability. That's a rare combo these days.

Last night I attended the In Pursuit Of Balance (IPOB) tasting held in New York. The consumer portion ($125), a 3-hour walkaround tasting, featured more than 30 wineries pouring Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

It's 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning. I'm standing in a huge room with a couple hundred other wine lovers and just as many barrel samples. My mouth is dry, my cheeks feeling the tug of tannins. My right index finger is stained purple—a side effect of people pouring wine into my glass as I'm still extending it.

There was a time when currency exchange rates created a bonanza for American wine drinkers. My first real exposure to the benefits of a strong dollar occurred in the mid-1980s, when the dollar bought the equivalent of 10 French francs. The fanciest of French wines became bargains for American wine drinkers.

Wine Spectator assistant managing editor Robert Taylor looks at the ways television and the media have influenced our eating and drinking habits, from ABC's Scandal and Bethenny Frankel to Julia Child and Orson Welles.

Wine Spectator editor at large Harvey Steiman visits the annual WineAustralia tasting in San Francisco to get a look at what American consumers haven't had a chance to taste, and highlights some of the best Australian wines we might be seeing soon.

Wine Spectator senior editor Bruce Sanderson is in France, visiting domaines and tasting the recent vintages of red and white Burgundies. WineSpectator.com members can read his scores and tasting notes. Today he continues with more scores and tasting notes from Bouchard Père & Fils.

Who would expect to find one of America's great restaurants hidden in the basement of a big shopping center in Honolulu? The archway entrance in the middle of the Ala Moana Shopping Center's lower parking level makes it feel like sneaking into a very fancy speakeasy. The meal I had there last week left me dazzled.

Wine Spectator senior editor Bruce Sanderson is in France, visiting domaines and tasting the recent vintages of red and white Burgundies. WineSpectator.com members can read his scores and tasting notes. Today he continues with more scores and tasting notes from Domaine Jean Grivot.

The Sonoma County dining scene isn't like any place else. Chefs were doing farm to table back in the 1980s, long before it was de rigueur, and somehow over the years they've managed to keep it real. The chefs here hangout with farmers and the winemakers are connected to the land and the kitchen. Here are four new restaurants Sonoma diners are excited about.

My colleague Harvey Steiman's recent blog posts about pairing wine and coffee reminded me of a story about the intersection of wine and coffee in my own life. One of our neighbors across the street invited us over for a beer. In his kitchen was the biggest, fanciest espresso maker I've ever seen. He was completely obsessed with coffee, and after chatting a while, he suggested I stop by a coffee tasting, or "cupping," at a local coffee importer and roaster that's open on the weekends.

I've kept track of most of my wine expenditures over the years for tax records, and I've come to see those costs in the light of the wines I didn't drink: Saving and wasting are connected. If you buy more wine than you drink and let bottles slide over the hill, that's wasted money.